Chapter 11
Bright lights flashed all around the Brooklyn as it sat anchored near the entrance to the canal. The ships that once surrounded the Light Cruiser dissolved into a stream of cubes, streaking separately into the backs of their respective owners.
The Shipgirls riggings formed for a second before dissolving completely from view. The four Shipgirls land staggered after one another on top of Brooklyn's stern.
"I can't even remember the last time I spent the night on your ship!" Wichita slaps at Brooklyn's back as she walks past.
"I don't think I ever had the chance," Biloxi avoided Brooklyn's icy glare, not wanting to be driven off the blonde's ship for a second time.
"It's pretty cozy," Massachusetts was no stranger to Brooklyn's bunks from their time deployed together back during the war.
"Especially with all the Manjuu!" An excited Bataan says, adjusting the hood to her favorite cat pajamas while clutching at her beloved pillow.
"You girls look like you're ready for a sleepover." Laughs Senior Chief Hermosa in more leisurely clothing than his officer uniform from earlier.
"Now there's an idea…" the corners of Wichita's lips turn upward in a mischievous fashion, "we can use your crew bunks tonight."
Brooklyn grumbles to herself as she eyes the Heavy Cruiser suspiciously, "what's wrong with my officer quarters?"
"Nothing's wrong with them," Wichita shrugs, "I was just thinking~ we don't get together as much these days and I think we're due for a little girl talk."
"That sounds wrong coming from you." Brooklyn tries to dismiss the topic.
"Aww~" Val puts on an exaggerated pout, "a sleepover actually sounds like fun."
Val was no stranger to sleepovers, having participated in many in her time growing up with her old friends from school. A lot of personal connections were made back then during those sleepovers and seizing an opportunity, Val figures the best way to get Brooklyn to spill the normally closely guarded secrets she held was to get her in a room with people who've known her longer for "a little girl talk."
"And tonight's really the last night before Bataan has to head back home." Val hugs the Cat pajama wearing Light Carrier from behind like a giant stuffed animal, "and I want to spend the night with her, with everyone."
"We're having dinner together, we don't need to sleep together." Brooklyn tries to reason.
Biloxi nodded her head. The last thing the bluenette wanted was to have Wichita spill all her secrets to the very person she was hiding them from over some silly "girl-talk"
"Yeah, I don't see a reason we should all-" Biloxi tries to add before being cut off by a pouting Bataan.
"Aww~ c'mon sis~" the Light Carrier put on her best puppy dog eyes, "it'll be fun…"
Biloxi's heart wavered at her beloved sister, with her wide pleading eyes looking up at her through the Carrier's blonde bangs. The fluffy cat pajamas making her look like a hurt little animal.
"Yeah, it'll be fun…" Val mimics Bataan's pleading face as she puts on her own puppy dog eyes towards Brooklyn.
Both Light Cruisers grumble to themselves mulling over their inner turmoil. Their lips waver trying to put out a rejection, but their hearts can no longer bear the pleading looks from their loved ones.
"F…fine!" Brooklyn looks away blushing, "we…we can have a… sleepover."
Biloxi snaps her head towards Brooklyn wide eyed.
"You're coming too?" Bataan deepened her pout, "right sis?
Clutching at her chest the Bluenette staggered, nodding her head in defeat.
"Yay!" Bataan and Val jumped into the air hugging one another.
Placing her hand on both Light Cruiser's shoulders, Wichita gives them a toothy smile, "see you girls tonight~ we have so~ much to talk about."
The redhead walks past Val as they give each other a discreet low five.
Brooklyn stood at the window looking into her kitchen, watching as Val and Bataan danced to and from her various appliances and stoves.
The two large Manjuu chefs also watched the girls dutifully like they were studying each action.
"And~ Viola!" Val pulls a large tray from one of the ovens, revealing rows upon rows of freshly baked steaming Manjuu pastries.
The large Manjuu chefs looked amazed at their likeness represented so well in little pastry form.
"Here ya go!" Val eagerly presents her treats after shoving them full of some kind of cream filling.
The Manjuu take one in their wing, giving them a small squeeze. They were just as soft as the real thing. If one weren't paying attention you could easily mistake these little pastries for the actual little yellow birds.
One takes a bite out of the fluffy pastry getting a bit of the cream filling on its beak.
A deep energetic squak followed by throwing the rest of the pastry down its gullet, signaled to Val that the Manjuu Chef quite liked the little treat.
The Manjuu Chef squawks something that Val couldn't quite understand.
"Hehe," Bataan giggles, "he's asking you for the recipe."
Shaking her head, Val playfully zips her lips, "sorry but if I did that, The Boss would probably kill me."
The Manjuu chef hung its head in defeat.
"But, here's some more as a consolation!" Val handed them the entire tray from the first batch.
Going over to where Brooklyn was, Val asks, "how many Manjuu are on board again?"
"About several hundred, why?" Brooklyn asks back," you weren't planning on making that much for them were you?"
"Oh~ y'know," Val let out a guilty chuckle, "they've been great to me this entire time and I kinda want to repay them."
"I get that, but these pastries are as big as they are so you probably don't need to make so many."
"Oh…" Val laughs as she watches one of the little Manjuu carrying a pastry over its head towards its friends in the kitchen with the intent of sharing the treat amongst them, "you got a point."
"How about I help you out?" Brooklyn offers, twiddling her fingers.
"Uhh… " Val tries to say no, but Brooklyn's pouting face proved too much for her to deny.
"O… okay." Val thought karma was coming back at her, "but only if you do exactly what I tell you."
"Aye aye!" Brooklyn smiles back.
Crossing into the kitchen, Val throws the Light Cruiser an apron as she starts to conduct the kitchen staff around again.
All was progressing smoothly even with Val taking extra precautions by looking over Brooklyn's shoulder constantly.
"Should I be worried about tonight's dinner?" Wichita says, poking her head into the kitchen.
"I've got my eye on her, don't worry about it," Val laughs.
"I dunno~" the Heavy Cruiser shrugs, "it's still Brooklyn we're talking about here.
The blonde Cruiser stirs the pot she's working at aggressively, shooting Wichita a dirty look. Lifting her ladle out of the pot, Brooklyn takes it with her to where the redhead stood, careful as to not spill what she was carrying.
"Why don't you have a taste for yourself?" Brooklyn holds the ladle up to Wichita's face.
"It's okay-" the Heavy Cruiser waves back trying to back away but Brooklyn delivers a swift jab to her chest causing her to open her mouth, a perfect opportunity to slide the ladle's contents past Wichita's lips.
"Guh!" The redhead tries not to choke as she slowly starts to chew at the beef inside her mouth."
Brooklyn closes her eyes, waiting for the eventual sounds of gagging, but they never come.
"Hmm…" Wichita contemplates before swallowing down her little sample, "that… that wasn't half bad…"
Brooklyn peaks through her half closed eyes, "Really?!"
"Y…yeah," Wichita scratched at the tip of her nose, "and did you really shove that in my mouth without finding out if it's good or not?!"
"All I did was follow what Val told me to do so it had to have turned out alright!" Brooklyn shouts back, "and on the off chance that it wasn't, I was nervous letting her taste it… and that's when you walked in."
The Heavy Cruiser shook her head as she realized her cousin really had no qualms about potentially poisoning her.
"Have you seen my sister?" Bataan poked her head around Wichita.
"She's above deck being gloomy with Massachusetts." Wichita shrugs, not sounding too concerned.
"Did I go too far?" Brooklyn bit at her lower lip feeling a little ashamed at her outburst earlier.
"I mean that's the kind of reaction you'd have if you found out your little sister was sleeping with some womanizer, But oh man!" Wichita cracks up, slamming at the countertop, "I haven't seen you that worked up since the Commander let the Fletchers loose around the city!"
"I thought you were going to blow a hole in him!" The Heavy Cruiser's laugh intensified.
Brooklyn's cheeks tinted red as she recalled pressing a barrel of her turrets against the Commander's head for such a reckless decision.
"It worked out in the end though!" Bataan shot out, attempting to cheer up the Light Cruiser, "everyone got to see us as actual people for the first time!"
Val smiled to herself, just realizing what day they were talking about. The day hundreds of thousands of people bore witness to a literal army of young and cute girls, all skating along the surface of the waters surrounding New York City. The existence of Shipgirls were known to many around the world as the weapons humanity used to drive off the Siren invasion, but that day was the first time many saw them as more than just weapons.
Those little Fletcher girls raced at full speed down the waterways, filling the air with sounds of their contagious laughter. People by the shore were greeted by their blinding bright smiles as they zoomed past.
Val recalled the event making it to international news, it was all everyone was talking about for weeks and the once obscure closely guarded existence of Shipgirls was finally brought out into the light.
"It makes me wonder if the Commander had that intention all along…" Bataan rubbed at her chin, "he may be a bit crass sometimes, but there's a reason we all love him so much."
"Please, don't ever say that in front of him," Brooklyn rubbed at her forehead, "the last thing we need is to stroke his ego."
Timers set up by the stoves all ding one after another as the Manjuu start to make their preparation moves.
"I guess dinner's ready!" Wichita licks at her lips as she starts to make her way out of the kitchen.
"Not so fast," Brooklyn pulls the Heavy Cruiser back by her collar, "you're helping us bring up the food."
The redhead grumbles to herself as she hoists up one of the larger pots, "Where's Big Mamie when you need her…"
The string lights from the other night were still strung up around Brooklyn's stern, offering their soft warm glow to a large table at the center. Even more lights were strung, all around the Light Cruiser, giving the warship a look more akin to a cruise ship from days gone. Little blue and white mats were laid out, scattered on nearly every available spot on deck. Several Manjuu occupied each one, their tiny faces filled with joyous content as they happily shared a meal with their companions.
"It sure is lively around here!" Senior Chief Hermosa let out an amused chuckle as he looked around at all the Manjuu on deck.
"They've been working hard these last couple of days so I thought I'd give them a little break." Brooklyn smiled warmly as she pet a stray Manjuu that had wandered on top of their table, "and I need them in tip-top shape for the transition tomorrow morning."
"Why the long wait?" Senior Chief Hermosa asks, "the canal should be clear of traffic well before tomorrow."
"Wales sent a last minute request the other night," the blonde Cruiser revealed.
"Wales?" Val's heard that name mentioned before.
"She's Royal Navy, and currently, is base commander of the Azur Lane Joint Base in the Pacific," Biloxi fills in for Brooklyn, "so what did her highness ask for?"
"I dunno actually," Brooklyn shrugs, "she never gave any details, just instructions for a delivery that's coming around tomorrow morning."
"Sounds pretty vague…" Massachusetts scratched at her chin."
"You're telling me," Brooklyn scoffs, "she's normally pretty direct about things."
Val noted a slight tinge to Brooklyn's cheeks after her last statement.
"Heh," Wichita let out a quick laugh, "direct is putting it mildly."
"Yeah," Biloxi nodded, "I dunno what it is with base commanders, but you might wanna be a little cautious around her."
"Why's that?" Val could almost pick up what the others were saying.
"Biloxi over here's a bit of a womanizer," Wichita gestures to the bluenette sitting beside her.
"I am not!" The light Cruiser pounds the table in protest.
"Though she doesn't even realize it," the redhead fake whispers across the table.
"But!" Wichita continues, "she doesn't hold a candle to how blatant Wales could be sometimes."
"Could be?!" Brooklyn shot back a bit more passionately than intended, "sometimes?!"
"Okay." Wichita laughs, "all the time."
Massachusetts nods, more satisfied with that correction.
"And worse of all!" The Heavy Cruiser crushed a Manjuu pastry in her hand, squirting some red bean filling on her face, "ever since that damn woman from Iron Blood showed up!"
The Manjuu on the table shook in terror having witnessed its likeness squished like a grape.
"Strutting around all haughty, like she owns the place!" Wichita slammed down on the table sending even more of the crushed pastry all over the place.
Brooklyn deftly intercepts some of the spillage before it makes it the Senior Chief's shirt.
"and that damned smile she always has!" The Heavy Cruiser unfazed by the disruption she was causing, "I don't care that she's the Secretary Ship! I just wanna wipe that smug look off her face! "
"Relax!" Biloxi slapped the top of Wichita's head, "sure she could be as handsy as Wales and the Commander, but she's not all that bad…"
"For a second I thought you were going off about Bismarck," Brooklyn laughs, "but yeah, Eugen can be difficult to deal with."
"Maybe it's just a Heavy Cruiser thing…" Biloxi shrugs as Bataan tries to hide her snickering.
Setting down his utensils, Senior Chief Hermosa wipes at his mouth, "it's good to hear we're getting along with the Red Axis girls."
"Not for a lack of trying…" Wichita says under her breath, "don't get me wrong, it's not like I hate Iron Blood or anything. Some of their girls really crack me up."
"Oh… what was her name again?" Wichita points her fork at Brooklyn, " I dunno why, but she kinda reminds me of you."
Brooklyn tilted her head curiously, letting Wichita finish.
"She's always hanging around Laffey and Javelin, and that girl with the horns from Sakura Empire…" the heavy Cruiser tapped her foot rapidly as she tried to recall the Shipgirl's name, "damn it! She's a destroyer… and that horn girl's always calling her Nimi, or something like that…"
"Nimi… Destroyer…" Brooklyn rubbed at her chin, "Oh! You must mean Z23!"
"She's such a lovely girl!" The blonde Cruiser's face lit up, "I've dealt with her a lot in my negotiations with Iron Blood back in the day, she was my main liaison."
Val's heart pangs seeing Brooklyn so happy to be talking about another girl and calling her "her liaison" felt kinda dirty, though Val's only experience with the word was various spy films and the suave protagonists never seemed unable to bed his or her liaisons eventually.
"Yes! That's her name!" Wichita slams down on the table again, "anyway, she's hilarious! Laffy's always pissing her off somehow and she's such a riot when she's angry."
"And that's why she reminds you of me?" Brooklyn shook her head at Wichita.
"I usually don't agree with this loudmouth over here," Biloxi gestures to the redhead, "but yeah, she's like a mini version of you with twice the temper."
'So Brooklyn likes her and they're similar?' Val grumbled to herself.
"What's wrong?" Wichita smirks at Val, noticing her slightly puffed cheeks, "feeling a little jealous?"
"..." Val stared wide eyed back at Wichita, surprised for the second time today at the Heavy Cruiser's perceptiveness.
"So~ Brooklyn…" the redhead turns her smirk towards the Light Cruiser, "I know your little secret already, but~ I want to hear it from your mouth."
Brooklyn made a quick glance at everyone on the table, her heart beating heavily against her chest. She has yet to make a formal announcement of her engagement and words that should come out easily had trouble forming on her lips.
Bataan leaned forward in her seat in quiet eagerness as Massachusetts and the Senior Chief sat with their eyes closed, a waiting smile on their faces.
A brief but strong gust of coastal air blew across Brooklyn's ship, blowing a few locks of hair into her face. Brushing them aside, the Light Cruiser's eyes lock with Val's, her previous nervousness disappearing as Val's hand rests on top of her own. Flipping her hand over their fingers intertwined with each other as they lift their arms slightly into the air.
"I…" Brooklyn takes another glance at Val as she feels a small squeeze at her hand, "we… Val and I…"
The Light Cruiser takes a long look at everyone on the table yet again before closing her eyes, "we are getting married."
A loud pop startles Brooklyn as her eyes snap open. Confetti and champagne rained all around her as the Manjuu unleashed their surprise. Everyone at the table clapped, the Senior Chief and Bataan wiping away a few tears from their eyes.
"Dad!" Val laughed, "why are you crying?! You already knew!"
"Yeah but," Senior Chief Hermosa wipes away at another tear, "hearing it over the phone is one thing, hearing it in person…"
Cracking open another bottle of champagne, Wichita pours a few glasses before chugging down the rest, "I'd say congratulations are in order coz!" Raising what was left in the bottle she offered a toast as everyone picked up their glasses. With a clink, Wichita goes off again, "Oh Man! When your sisters find out-"
Brooklyn downs her glass like a shot at the mere thought.
"-they're gonna flip!" The Heavy Cruiser cackled, "I can't wait, Honolulu is gonna lose her shit!"
"In a good way… right?" Val let out a nervous chuckle.
"Ha! Probably not!" Wichita cackled hard.
"Don't worry…I'll deal with them when the time comes." Brooklyn sounded not so confident in her words.
"That brings me back to just after I proposed to Val's mother…" Senior Chief Hermosa sighs, "her sisters were not too fond of me, haha!"
"Val was already born, and I was hardly there because of my deployments," he continued, ``so I perfectly understood why they hated me."
"You're not helping dad~" Val said through her teeth as she kicked him under the table.
"Haha, sorry!" He scratched at the back of his head, noticing Brooklyn's down trodden expression, "well they love me now, I think at least."
In a more reassuring voice, Senior Chief Hermosa looks to both Brooklyn and Val, "Just love each other to the fullest, support one another, be there for each other, and they'll see that… and eventually, they'll come around."
With a quiet acceptance Brooklyn nods, still unsure whether these upcoming weeks would be painless or not, but one last squeeze to her hand from Val before separating, renewed her determination to face any hardship - for the sake of their future together.
The rest of dinner was still a fairly rowdy affair, with Wichita loudly pouring out her grievances to anyone unfortunate enough to listen and the content chirping from all the Manjuu onboard.
The sun had long since fallen behind the hills of the bay as the lively party on deck slowly started to die down.
Rubbing at his full belly, Senior Chief Hermosa Pat's Brooklyn on her back, "dinner was fantastic! Thank you!"
"Oh, I only sourced the ingredients," Brooklyn chuckled slightly, "Val and the Manjuu deserve all the credit."
"You made the guisada." Val pointed out, making Massachusetts and Biloxi widen their eyes in shock.
"Only because you told me what to do."
"Helena would be so proud…" Wichita jokingly states, earning a quick elbow to her ribs from Biloxi.
"Old Helena… yeah…" a sad smile came across Brooklyn's face.
"Well~" the Heavy Cruiser trailed off scratching at the back of her head, "maybe it's a good thing Helena doesn't remember just how bad you were at cooking?"
"Maybe." Brooklyn let out in a small voice.
"Well that just means big sister could show little sister a few tricks!" Bataan with another attempt to cheer Brooklyn up.
"Helena?" Brooklyn said incredulously, "that girl is well beyond anything I could teach her."
"That's not true," Wichita states, slightly annoyed, "that girl lacks some common sense sometimes, and she could use a bit of your confidence, and last week she was freaking out over some decorations she put up - saying, "oh! I shouldn't have put the blue over there, maybe I should've used red instead!" she did her best to imitate the younger Brooklyn's demeanor.
"Still the same worrywart I see." Brooklyn's face softened a bit, as she let out a little laugh. "She can be overly… meticulous."
Massachusetts couldn't really put her finger on it but she could swear something was different about Brooklyn, and the longer she studied the Cruiser's face the more she could see that Brooklyn was smiling. Not abnormal, the Battleship thought, but Brooklyn was talking about Helena, and not just in passing.
"Ha! Tell me about it!" Wichita let out, "Helena really needs to learn when to cool it sometimes."
"That's rich, coming from you." Biloxi couldn't stop herself from taking a jab at the Heavy Cruiser.
"I kept telling her to leave it alone and that it looked just fine," That jab seemingly had no effect on the redhead as she kept going, "but she kept insisting everything had to be perfect."
"She does tend to forget about the bigger picture sometimes," Brooklyn laughs, "what was she even working on anyway?"
"The welcoming decorations for the Iris/ Vichy girls." Biloxi answered, "they did come out pretty nicely in the end though."
"It's more than she deserved," Wichita shot back, a bit of venom in her voice. Turning to Massachusetts slams down on the table again, "you wouldn't believe who's at the base at the moment."
"W…who?" The Battleship asked back, an idea of the person in question already on her mind.
"Our old pal Jean Bart," Wichita grinded at her teeth as she threatened to snap her riding crop in half if she bent it any further, "I really can't stand that girl."
Massachusetts fiddled around in her seat at the mere mention of that former Vichy Flagship's name, "So, she's already there," the Battleship said to herself quietly, trying to suppress the small grin that had crept up her cheeks.
"I go over to say hi, y'know to say water under the bridge 'n all, and she just turned, huffed, and walked away." The heavy Cruiser seethed, "but y'know, that's perfect, I've been wanting to shove her full of 8" shells for a while now and now I won't feel bad if I ever get the chance."
"We're all on the same side now…" Brooklyn narrows her eyes at the redhead, "and besides, she could probably blow you away in a single shot."
Pumping her fist into the air Wichita shouts, "Ha! I'd like to see her try!"
"How about a mock battle?" Massachusetts says in a small voice, "you said you'd talk to Richelieu about it."
Releasing a sigh, Brooklyn shakes her head, "I did but-"
"What's this I hear about a mock battle?!" Wichita stands up, placing a foot on top of her seat, "whatever it is, you can count me in!"
"A mock battle would be a great way to build strong relationships." Senior Chief Hermosa says.
"Or it could be a great way of feeding these needless rivalries." Brooklyn countered.
Massachusetts shoulders drop as she fiddles with the bits of leftovers on her plate.
"..." The blonde Cruiser sighs again, "...but I'll bring it up to Richelieu if I get a chance."
"Hell yeah!" Wichita's whip cracks through the air in celebration, "you're joining us too, right coz?"
"Wha- no-" Brooklyn shook her head rapidly.
"C'mon! We gotta get the girls back together for this!" The Heavy Cruiser pointed her riding crop at Brooklyn, "We have to get Ranger in on this too! And I know Cleveland would like a piece of the action"
"Are you guys that desperate for a rematch?" Biloxi shakes her head, "and Cleveland didn't do much in that engagement."
"Damn right!" Wichita redirected the tip of her riding crop to the Light Cruiser, "Casablanca was totally one sided and I'm itching for a fair fight! And besides, Cleveland could make up for it now."
Massachusetts quickly nodded, clenching her fists to the sentiment.
"I'll talk to Richelieu, but I'm not taking part in your pissing match." Brooklyn finalized the discussion with that.
Reluctantly making her way to their shared berthing area, Biloxi was the last to arrive after taking her sweet time in the shower mentally preparing herself for tonight's conversation.
Peeking her head around the corner she sees her fellow Shipgirls gathered closely around a few bunks.
"What took your ass so long?" Wichita jeered from her top bunk, "I was beginning to think you wouldn't show."
"I saved you a spot!" The hood of Bataan's cat pajamas sways cutely as she waves before scooting over to make room for her sister.
Bataan was quick to cuddle into the bluenette's side the moment she sat down.
Most of Biloxi's worries melted away as she looked down at her sister's bright smile.
On the other side of the row of bunks, Brooklyn couldn't help but keep her gaze fixed on the two sisters across from her as she hugged her pillow tightly to her chest.
"Why the long face?" Wichita reaches down and across from her bunk to pull Brooklyn's pillow out from her grasp.
"H…hey!" The Light Cruiser fails to grab hold of her pillow. Feeling a bit exposed, Brooklyn quickly switched to hugging her knees tightly instead.
"Give it back…" Brooklyn says weakly into her knees, trying to hide her blush.
Wichita let out an incredulous whistle at what the Light Cruiser was wearing. With the exception of Bataan, everyone's nightwear consisted of a combination of a plain loose or tight fitting tank top and shorts. Brooklyn on the other hand wore a fairly revealing lacy white nightgown.
"Val!" Wichita calls, "grab her arms!"
With a mock salute Val reaches down from her top bunk to grab her fiance's wrist. Brooklyn puts up a struggle as Val tries to pry her arms loose and into the air.
"V…Val!" Brooklyn stammers out, "wha…what are you…?"
"Why are you being so shy for?" Wichita cackled, "it's not like your normal clothes are any less risque?"
"T…that's different!" The Light Cruiser shot back, still trying to break free from Val's grasp.
"Why wear it if you don't want us to look?" The redhead taunts before pointing at Massachusetts on the bottom bunk below Brooklyn, "grab her legs!"
Reluctantly doing what she was told, the Battleship peers upward, "Sorry…" taking hold of Brooklyn's ankles, Massachusetts pulls them apart.
"W…wait!" The blonde protests, "it was supposed to be for…"
"What?" Wichita laughs, "for Val's eyes only?"
"It was the only thing I brought!" Brooklyn admits defeat as she stops struggling against Val's and Massachusetts's hold.
"Well…You look good coz! So I dunno why you're so uppity." Jumping down from her bunk Wichita moves in to take a closer look at the Light Cruiser.
Rubbing at her chin an evil smirk crosses the red head's face. She had never seen Brooklyn so defenseless, with her arms raised and legs hanging loosely.
"Sorry…but I just can't help myself."
Waggling her fingers, Wichita brings them closer and closer to Brooklyn's sides.
"N…NO!" Brooklyn cries out, "Don't… don't you dare!"
"Mamie, you better hold her nice and tight~" Wichita's fingers creeping even closer, "and careful now, you don't want to fling Val across the room."
"Nooooo!" Brooklyn's voice trails off into an uncontained and involuntary laughter as Wichita assaults her undefended sides.
"You girls sound like you're having fu-" Senior Chief Hermosa pokes his head in after hearing the sounds of laughter from down the hall. Everyone stops the moment he enters as they look his way, giving Brooklyn time to catch a much needed breath.
"I… I was just gonna stop by to say goodnight, so… goodnight." he adds before turning back the way he came.
"Goodnight dad!" Val yells after him, still holding Brooklyn's arms firmly in place.
"Alright, where were we?" Wichita's devilish smile reappears as she turns her attention back to the out of breath Light Cruiser.
Not realizing Wichita's plan's to continue, Massachusetts had already let go of Brooklyn's legs giving the blonde the opportunity she needed to stop her torment.
It happened in a flash that Val had little time to process what happened. A swift kick had connected squarely on the bottom of the red head's jaw, knocking her out in an instant.
The Shipgirls in the room winced as the Heavy Cruiser's body folded backwards onto the floor.
"Wha-?" Val let go of Brooklyn's wrists as she peered over the edge of her bunk at an unconscious Wichita, "is she gonna be alright?"
Laughing hard, Biloxi wipes away a tear, "oh~, she'll be just fine… probably."
"Serves her right!" Brooklyn hmphs, retreating under her covers.
Biloxi lets out a long sigh of relief, the source of her current anxiety was out cold and being hoisted up into the bottom bunk by Bataan and a few Manjuu. The redhead possessed too much intimate knowledge of Biloxi's personal relationships and she really didn't need any specific details revealed out in the open.
"Sorry Biloxi," the Light Carrier says as she tucks Wichita into the bottom bunk, "but looks like you'll have to trade bunks tonight."
"It's fine," the light Cruiser waves her hand in dismissal, "you can take the top if you want."
Without the loudmouth Heavy Cruiser disturbing the peace most of the night went by rather uneventfully. Mostly light hearted topics take up the majority of the night's conversation, with Biloxi getting the rest of the girls up to speed with the recent happenings at the Joint Base and Bataan regaling the latest shenanigans Essex and the Commander have been up to, much to Brooklyn's chagrin.
As the night grew late the girls fell to drowsiness and duty. Bataan was the first to doze as her head fell softly onto Biloxi's shoulder, a gentle quiet rhythm to her breathing. Smiling warmly at her sister's precious sleeping face, Biloxi carefully lays the Light Carrier into her bunk, tucking her gently under the covers.
With the knowledge that they had to be up bright and early tomorrow, the girls took Bataan's retirement as a sign to do the same.
Biloxi turns over in her bunk, closing her eyes for a while, but sleep was not coming so easily. The sounds of long steady breaths made her believe that the rest had found sleep as she turned over in her bunk once more to face the girls on the other side.
Through the relative darkness, Biloxi's gaze settles on a pair of eyes looking back at her from the adjacent bunk. Annoyed to see Brooklyn of all people still awake, Biloxi turns over for a third time.
"Hey…" a light whisper came from behind, "Biloxi…"
The bluenette grumbled to herself, reluctant to answer the other Light Cruiser's call as she buried herself deeper into her blanket.
"Can't sleep?" Brooklyn asks.
"..." Biloxi sighs as she emerges slightly from her covers, "no thanks to you…"
Brooklyn let out a small chuckle, "sorry."
A few more minutes of silence went by before Brooklyn found the nerve to speak up again.
"Hey… was what Wichita said true?" Brooklyn whispers.
"...about what?"
"You know…about "bagging a Brooklyn," Brooklyn's cheeks warmed in embarrassment just repeating the Heavy Cruiser's words.
Turning over to face Brooklyn, Biloxi can't help but quietly laugh, "do you even know what that means?"
"I…" The blonde pouts in annoyance, "I'm being serious! Are you in a relationship with one of my sisters?" With her question laid out so clearly, Brooklyn figured Biloxi couldn't deflect with a joke.
Biloxi couldn't bear Brooklyn's earnest gaze burning into her. Rolling onto her back she stares upward at the bottom of Bataan's bunk. Brooklyn had every right to interrogate her, Biloxi thought, and she didn't have the heart to lie to someone like Brooklyn. Still though, would it really be a lie if she herself didn't really know the answer? A relationship? Sure they were close, perhaps closer than most, but could she really call what they have a relationship?
"I… don't know…" were the words that left Biloxi's mouth.
"Do you want to be?"
The younger Cruiser's chest felt tight as she let Brooklyn's question hang in the air.
"So…" Brooklyn had a hunch on who it could be as she tried to narrow down the possibilities in her head, "is it Honolulu?"
No reaction, the blonde noted as she carefully watched Biloxi's form for anything that might give away an answer. Brooklyn was surprised, as Honolulu was really the only one to pop into her head and that really only left one other sister as the the other two weren't even stationed at the Joint Base and the other was probably already accounted for.
"It's St. Louis…" Brooklyn held her breath as she continued to watch Biloxi's reactions.
"..." the bluenette let out a sigh as she turned her back to Brooklyn, pulling her covers over her head.
That told Brooklyn all she needed to know as she released her breath. St. Louis, of all people… Her little buxom sister did have the propensity of being quite the flirt, unintentionally or not. Quietly laughing to herself, Brooklyn wondered exactly who fell for the other first as both had the uncanny ability to draw people to them. In some ways, she figures, they were perfect for each other.
Massachusetts lay quietly in her bed, also having trouble sleeping as her usual schedule for the last couple of days at least, was acting as the night look out. Turning over to a more comfortable position, the Battleship debated what to do with her newly acquired knowledge that Biloxi might just be involved romantically with one of Brooklyn's sisters. She really had no desire to tease or blackmail the younger Light Cruiser and she still didn't know exactly which sister was in question, but that didn't really matter to Massachusetts as everyone involved are her dear friends and she could be happy no matter who got together with who.
The Shipgirls were out of bed a few hours before the sun, with Brooklyn and Biloxi exchanging a couple of awkward good mornings as they made their way above deck. A still drowsy Bataan led the kitchen staff Manjuu into the mess hall ready to fire up the stoves for a hearty breakfast.
Massachusetts met up with Brooklyn standing by next to her seaplane/cargo crane as they waited for the scheduled delivery that was supposed to be arriving in a few minutes.
"You still don't know what it is?" Massachusetts asked.
"Nope," Brooklyn said flatly, "only that I was told it weighed almost several tons"
Just as Brooklyn finished a smaller vessel came speeding down the water way, expertly parking alongside the Light Cruiser.
At the helm was a familiar face, her wild white hair tied up into a long ponytail framed her features with white tattoos similar to Massachusetts adorning her darker complexion.
"Heyyy!" The Shipgirl's normally fierce red eyes grew soft as she waved enthusiastically at the girls on Brooklyn's stern, "long time!"
"Yeah!" Brooklyn shouted back down, "it's good to see you Minnie!"
Swinging open the door to Brooklyn's deck, Val steps into the humid morning air, stretching her arms high above her head. Letting out a long yawn, Val rubs at her eyes as she makes her way over to the commotion she hears at the stern.
"I dunno what you guys want with this thing," Minneapolis gestures to a huge 20ft tall crate strapped down behind her, "but Wales commissioned it so~"
"It's not to my taste," another Shipgirl emerged from below the transport ship's cargo hold, leaping up onto Brooklyn's deck, "but the Manjuu worked very hard on it."
The girl, no, woman was strikingly beautiful, Val noted, as she landed gracefully beside Brooklyn and Massachusetts. She was tall with a very shapely figure, bursting out of her short mostly black dress in very strategic areas. Brushing her silver purple tipped hair behind her ear the woman offers a warm smile before extending her arms out as if asking for a hug.
Brooklyn was quick to fall into the arms of the silver haired woman, Val saw, looking way too comfortable to be in another woman's bosom.
"It's been forever!" The black clad Shipgirl enthused, before going to hug Massachusetts, "how've you girls been?"
"Oh y'know~" Brooklyn shrugs, "same as always."
"I dunno~" the Shipgirl leaned in closer to inspect the blonde, "you look happier than when I last saw you."
"Y…you're seeing things," Brooklyn looks away, trying to dismiss the claim.
"You'd've never fallen into my arms like that before," the woman mused, "it usually takes a bit of corralling to get any sort of skinship from you."
Clapping her hands together the woman perks up, "something good must've happened to you recently!"
She reaches down to grab at the Light Cruiser's hands bringing them up to her face, "so~ what happened?"
As if answering her own question, the silver haired Heavy Cruiser felt the ring on Brooklyn's finger, turning it over to get a better look. "..." she stood in stunned silence as she stared at the precious gem gleaming in the early morning dawn.
Brooklyn looked away slightly embarrassed as the Heavy Cruiser glanced back and forth between her and the ring.
"Hey sis!" Minneapolis calls from the transport ship, "are we gonna get this thing loaded or what? What's the hold up?"
"R…right! " Brooklyn pulled her hand back as she commanded her crane to move, "the cargo…"
"You can't just get hitched without telling any of us," the silver haired Cruiser pouts, whispering discreetly into Brooklyn's ear, "least of all me~"
"..." Brooklyn sighed as her crane clanged to life, swinging outwards over the transport ship, "it's not like I was not going to tell you, but…"
"But~" the woman continued to pout.
"But I wanted to tell my sisters first before I told everyone."
"..." the woman's face morphed into a more serious one, "so even they don't know…"
"N…not yet anyway…"
"Say," the silver haired Cruiser nudged Brooklyn slightly, "how are you holding up?"
"I'm doing perfectly fine." She replied, turning up her chin, after hearing the concern in her friend's voice.
A smile formed on the woman's face as she leaned into Brooklyn, "you're not lying at least…"
"Why would I lie about-" before the blonde Cruiser could finish her face was pulled into the older Shipgirl's chest as gentle arms wrapped around her shoulders.
"I'm so proud of you~" the woman cooed as she softly stroked the top of Brooklyn's head, "my little Brooklyn's all grown up~" she giggled as the light Cruiser in her arms weakly struggled against her embrace.
"So~" she pushes Brooklyn out in front of herself, keeping a tight grip on the blonde's shoulders, "who's the lucky guy?"
No longer able to bear watching, Val snakes her way to her fiance, Hooking her arms with Brooklyn's she shoots the woman a possessive glare.
"Oh~" the silver haired Cruiser took a step back, slightly surprised.
"Val?" Brooklyn says startled, "you're up! Perfect timing! I want you to meet an old friend. This is New Orleans."
"Hi," the Heavy Cruiser dips her head as a greeting when she sees a similar gleam coming off Val's finger that was intertwined with Brooklyn's. So many things swirled around in New Orleans' mind as her mouth hung agape slightly, unable to look away from the seemingly normal human, "it's a pleasure."
The sounds of machinery drew everyone's attention back towards Brooklyn's crane as it strained to lift the giant wooden crate off the transport ship's deck.
"Wow" Brooklyn stood, shocked at the sheer mass of the cargo, "Wales better reimburse me for hauling this thing, oil isn't cheap."
"You know those Royal Navy girls," New Orleans laughs, "they sure love their extravagant things."
"How have things been down here lately?" Brooklyn asks.
"Quiet for the most part," the Heavy Cruiser sighed, "a few small skirmishes with Siren mass production ships here and there, but nothing major."
"That's good to hear."
"There's so much paperwork though!" New Orleans hangs her head as she feels the need to vent to Brooklyn, "and as capable as Minnie is… let's just say paperwork isn't her forte."
"You knew what you were signing up for," Brooklyn laughed, shooting her a side glance.
"Yeah~ but~" New Orleans pouts, "I wouldn't have had to if only you said yes."
"Said yes to what?" Val cuts in.
"Oh, you didn't know?" The Heavy Cruiser turned towards Val, "of course not, why would you?" Pointing her finger at Brooklyn she continues, "it's not like this one over here hates to talk about herself or anything."
Brooklyn scoffs at the accusation even if she knew it was true, "because it wasn't relevant to any conversation in the past."
"Brooklyn here turned down the role of Commander for the Central Eagle Union forces. " New Orleans reveals, slightly annoyed, "and it was passed down to me instead when she refused."
"You could've said no too." Brooklyn laughed.
"I wouldn't dream of it!" New Orleans stated matter of factly, "it's a lot to deal with sometimes, but I'm glad to serve in such a capacity."
"Well, you're doing good work here," Brooklyn smiled warmly as she placed her hand atop the taller Cruiser's head, patting it gently, "this port's in very capable hands."
Fighting a fierce blush, New Orleans pouts, "hey~ I'm supposed to be the older one here~"
A team of Manjuu slides open the cover to Brooklyn's seaplane hangars, slowly guiding the giant crate down into the hold.
"It doesn't fit…" Massachusetts gestures to the top of the crate sticking out just a couple feet out of the deck preventing the hanger lid from closing completely.
"..." Brooklyn grumbles as she scratches at the back of her head.
Another half hour went by as the Manjuu secured the load, covering the opening on deck with a large tarp.
"Bataan should have breakfast ready by now, you and Minnie should stay and grab some if you want." Brooklyn offers.
"Maybe next time," New Orleans looked back at the shore, "I've got a lot to do today and I just wanted to drop by and catch up. Oh, and when you see Bataan, tell her to come to my HQ later, I may need to borrow her for a little errand."
"Sure, I'll pass the message along."
Hugs were exchanged between the Shipgirls before New Orleans turned towards Val with her arms outstretched, "Val right? Again, it was a pleasure meeting you."
Stepping into reach, Val was engulfed in a warm embrace before she even realized. Her tiredness from waking so early melting away into the taller woman's bosom. Her scent was dangerously calming as she unconsciously nestled a little deeper returning the hug.
"Take good care of Brooklyn for me," New Orleans whispers just loud enough for Val to hear, "despite her looks, she can be pretty vulnerable sometimes, but you already know I'm sure," she laughs as Val looks up at her.
"And I suspect she'll need you now more than ever in these upcoming days," New Orleans winks before breaking off the hug, "I hope to see you again soon!" She waves at everyone before turning on her heel.
"And Congratulations!" The Heavy Cruiser's voice trails as she jumps back down onto the transport ship. With one last wave the two sisters departed, their ship retreating back towards the mouth of the Canal.
—-
Sorry for the prolonged updates. Chapters are getting a tad longer, my free time and family are getting a bit smaller, and I'm not the quickest writer on the block.
Remember how I said this would be the final part of the voyage….
Next time, Brooklyn and the gang cross over into the Pacific, saying goodbye to Val's dad and Bataan as they turn back for home, but a blip on radar in the middle of their planned route puts them all on high alert.
Helena and Honolulu help get the port ready for their sister's arrival as Le Malin has trouble dealing with a moody Jean Bart.
Any feedback on my progress would be greatly appreciated.